IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the Links Bar
A Flight
1st Gary Bolger (15) 38pts
2nd Wichai Tananusorn (9) 37pts
3rd Tony Campbell (9) 35pts
B Flight
1st Mike King (19) 37pts
T2nd Larry Gibb (21) 32pts
T2nd John Tallett (25) 32pts
T2nd Tom Jones (26) 32pts
Monday, March 2 saw the Pattaya Golf Society take seven groups to Treasure Hill to play a stableford competition. The trip north from Pattaya up the 331 encountered something we hadn’t had for months – rain – and plenty of it. No matter, Treasure Hill still appeared eminently playable when we arrived, and although we encountered rain shortly after starting, that remained the case.
Despite the PGS normally playing from the white tees at this course, the day’s organiser – not Mr Len – inexplicably decided that play would be from the yellows; a decision he would come to regret.
The course was well presented with good fairways and reasonably well-kept bunkers, whilst putting surfaces were consistent and true. This course represents one of our toughest challenges where any score approaching level par normally takes the day. But from the forward tees perhaps this day’s results would be different?
There were three ‘2’ – the sole B Flight ‘2’ being recorded at the 6th by Henry Mah while A Flight ‘2’s occurred at the 6th, Tony Campbell, and 17th by Peter Ditz.
With the split set at 16.9 and under, B Flight saw four golfers on the podium with three sharing runner-up spot, all with 32 points. The flight winner, by some margin, was Mike King with a very good haul of 37 points.
The A Flight podium was a closer affair, with 3rd place returning 35 points. Both A Flight runner-up and winner returned sub-par rounds of 37 and 38 points respectively. Well done Wichai Tananusorn and Gary Bolger; excellent golf even though we played from the forward tees.
Back at the Links Bar, the booby bevy could have only one winner; on a day where organiser David changed the usual tees of the day. Normally this wouldn’t be a huge problem, but it is when those out in front of the field are not told. By the time they found out, after they had teed off at the 2nd, it was too late. To the players affected went a humble apology, the return of their competition entry fee and a beer; courtesy of Mr David.
Bolger’s best again
The Pattaya Golf Society celebrated Makha Bucha Day with a stableford competition at Mountain Shadow on Wednesday, 4th March. A bright warm day saw a large field assembling at the club which gave the group the usual warmest of welcomes, with no holiday surcharge.
The cut for the competition was set at fifteen and both flights found scoring a challenge with dry fairways giving tight lies for the majority of golfers. Greens were consistent and running at a comfortable quick pace.
In the second flight, Murray Edwards managed 30 points for third place whilst the PGS golf geezer, Mr Len, overcame a frenetic start with an ever-changing startlist to post 32 points for second place. The flight winner was Aussie golfer Greg Gawron whose return was marked with a very creditable 33 points for the win.
In the top flight, Huw Phillips and Rick Schramm shared third place with 33 points, a couple behind Dave Moriarty, runner-up with his best round this trip. The winner, repeating his two-under feat of two days previously, was Gary Bolger and his 38 points included a birdie on the toughest par five in the province, the fourteenth. Wow!
Rob Lamond recorded the only birdie ‘2’ of the day on the fifth and Kevin McConnell’s blushes for the biggest split figures were dissipated with the award of the Booby Bevy.
O’Sullivan does it in style
A Flight
T1st Rick Schramm (10) 35pts
T1st Alan Griffiths (12) 35pts
T1st Huw Phillips (15) 35pts
B Flight
1st John O’Sullivan (21) 41pts
2nd Henry Mah (21) 37pts
3rd Michael McGuigan 35pts
Friday, March 6 saw the Pattaya Golf Society run a stableford competition at the ever-popular Greenwood Golf Club. Whilst this course represents the most distant of those on our regular rota, the additional few minutes is well worth the effort. Month in, month out, the manner with which this course presents its fairways, bunkers and greens is top-notch, and today was no different.
Our challenge today was the C and A nines, so with the two-flight split set at 17.6 and under, we got away a little early at 1015. The weather was fine yet breezy, which occasionally morphed into a two-club wind, presenting welcome relief to the humid conditions of recent outings.
There were three ‘2’s – the sole A Flight one achieved by Rick Schramm on C6, whilst the B Flight achievers were John O’Sullivan on C6 and Mr Len at A6.
Scoring was as tight as it gets in A Flight with all three podium placers scoring identical scores of 35 points to tie first place. This same score was good enough for just third place in the better performing B Flight, which saw two sub-par rounds. Runner-up Henry Mah’s very credible 37 points, often a winning score here, was an amazing five-points adrift of the standout score of the day – John O’Sullivan’s meritorious 41 points. Superb golf!
Back at the Links Bar the lucky beer draw was won by Greg Gawron while the booby bevy went to the most deserving of recipients – Mike King. Two days previously, Mike had been most successful in circumventing the non-drink laws applying to Wednesday’s Big Buddha day. So successful in fact that he managed to stay out until well after sun-rise the following day. It was no surprise therefore that he arrived at the first tee on Friday in a state best described as “not fit for purpose” with various body-aches preventing a full swing. Clearly, Buddha took his revenge, as Mike managed a mere 14-point haul over 18 holes of hell. Som nom na!
